1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to graphics processing units (GPU), and more particularly to using graphics processing units to process network messages.
2. Background Art
Existing mobile computing systems (for example, smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) have multiple processors assigned to perform different tasks. For example, a central processing unit (CPU) as a central processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) for processing computer graphics, and one or more processors to process physical layer messages. The multiple processors are used in the mobile computing systems to process messages of different types or messages intended for different applications. For example, a different processor may correspond to processing cellular signals, WiFi signals, landline communication signals, global positioning system (GPS) signals, and computer graphics signals. Multiple processors are used to process network messages such as physical layer messages because the computational capabilities of existing physical layer processors are limited. Application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) implementations are not feasible due to frequent changes in communication standards. The use of multiple network processors is expensive and inefficient, and the route from these processors to a CPU is long and slow. As data rates of computing systems increase, the route from the physical layer processors to a CPU may become a bottleneck.